Dog Watch

Sam Elliott and Kristen Miller as Sally wow... the entire cast did a good job delivering a first class movie. It's a found movie for me, a DVD. I couldn't get over how well Sally did her part. I don't understand why I haven't seen her in other movies. The movie is obviously low budget but the action is high paced and edge of your seat anticipation. This is a DVD I will ad to my collection of treasures especially since I was born and raised in San Francisco when the city had spirit and atmosphere. My brother was a cop there, so this movie has special meaning. All I can say is job well done for sure.

Sam Elliot is brilliant as a tough San Francisco Detective Charlie Fallon. When his partner is killed while meeting with an informant Fallon snaps, beats the informant to death, and dumps his body in a river. The next day Fallon is assigned a rookie partner, and given the task of investigating the informants murder. Sam Elliot does a good job of portraying a man who tortured by the guilt of his own murderous actions, and grief over the death of his partner who may have been involved in police corruption.

I'm rating this pretty high just because of Sam Elliott. I could've done without the female nudity but I'd sit through almost any nonsense in order to see Sam strut his stuff. He gets to spout wonderfully cynical witticisms, many of which I agree with, and it's a joy to see him in a role in which he actually gets to emote instead of just standing around scowling and looking virile as can be. My boyfriend opined that this movie is in a couple of ways similar to a film in which Ed Harris had a Hispanic partner (in the police sense of the term!) who was a little overeager to prove himself. You can draw your own conclusions on that score but if you like Sam, you'll like this. You could say I'm biased, but who isn't in some way? I'd buy this on DVD in a heartbeat!

Sam Elliott is tough, uncompromising, sexist, stubborn, and an honest cop. "Dogwatch" is an excellent police corruption film. It takes it's time to establish characters, and the story is complex enough to maintain interest. Not for the squeamish, the violence is pretty brutal. What holds things together is the outstanding performance by Elliott. His sexist conversation with his partner's wife at the dinner table will most likely make any females in the audience ultra uncomfortable. It alone is worth the price of admission. I am definitely pounding the table for this little known movie. If you would like to entertain your male friends with something truly entertaining, get "Dogwatch" and watch it. ......... MERK

DOG WATCH (Video 1997)

BASIC PLOT: Charlie Falon (Sam Elliott) is an impudent, hard-nosed detective, who's seen to much on the streets of San Francisco. Now, his partner's been murdered, and he thinks he's taken care of the problem, but maybe it's his temper that's that's taken care of him. His new partner, Murrow (Esai Morales) is an Idealist, and has landed in a rabbit hole of corruption and murder. Can he survive the shadow world around him long enough to find out who his real enemies are?

WHAT WORKS: *Everything

*The score is perfect for a neo-noir! It has lots of steamy saxophone, it's a great background for this type of movie.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *Paul Sorvino has one monologue that doesn't work. It's a rant, and it seems contrived and forced.

*This movie needs a new name! "Dog Watch," tells you nothing about this movie, and makes you think it has to do with something else entirely.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *I would definitely recommend this movie to fans of neo-noir, Sam Elliott Esai Morales, and to people who don't need a happy ending.

CLOSING NOTES: *This is a Straight-to-Video movie, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. Straight-to-Video movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.